Six HHS students headed for Skills Ontario competition

Skilled trades are in demand and, in an effort to encourage students to consider them as a career, Skills Ontario provides opportunities for youth to explore careers in the skilled trades and tech industries.

The annual Skills Ontario Competition gives students the chance to demonstrate the skills they’ve learned, and pit them against their counterparts from across the province for the opportunity to advance to a Canada-wide competition.

Six students from Huntsville High School (HHS) qualified for the upcoming Skills Ontario Competition after competing in qualifying events against students from all seven high schools in the Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB).

Samuel Topps and Liam Martin-McTavish won the two-person construction build, Emma Melton will be representing TLDSB for cabinet making, James Boothby qualified for welding, Josh Degazio is competing in computer coding, and Alexis Green won the photography preliminary.

Melton is currently completing a woodworking co-op to explore her options for a future career.

“My teacher, Mr. Brady, encouraged me to take woodworking and I’ve continued to take it because he believes in me and has pushed me to become better and better. I’ve become so passionate about woodworking and enjoy it a lot,” she said.

Women make up 48 per cent of the workforce, but only 4.5 per cent of those in the trades. Despite that, Melton said she hasn’t encountered any difficulty due to her gender.

“For me it hasn’t been very tough being a female in woodworking because my teacher has been so supportive and everyone I’ve met so far has been very welcoming,” said Melton.

Winners in each category at the Ontario Skills Competition will earn a spot at the Skills Canada National Competition in Halifax on May 28-29.

In 2016, HHS student Caitlyn Gill won at the provincial level and represented her school at the nationals where she won silver.

HHS student, James Boothby, in an Ontario Skills qualifier. (Photo: Clare McLean-Wilson)

“This competition builds understanding and excitement around the trade industry and all of the opportunities there are,” said Clare McLean-Wilson, pathways consultant for TLDSB, who acts as a liaison between schools in the board and the ministry of training colleges and universities.

McLean-Wilson believes that students are less likely to choose a skilled trade as a career because high schools often push university as the ideal pathway and that there are, unfortunately, negative stereotypes about skilled trades.

The Ontario Skills Competition is celebrating its 30th year. Competitions will be held in Toronto on May 6 for elementary students and May 7-8 for high school students.

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